Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | An East African summit scheduled for December 27 to help broker an end to Burundi’s political crisis has been postponed for a second time, according to a regional bloc organising the talks. Burundi has been caught up in crisis since President Pierre Nkurunziza sought a …
Read More »N. Korea says denuclearisation depends on removal of US threat
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea said Thursday its commitment to denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was bound up with a “complete removal of US nuclear threats”. Following a rapid diplomatic rapprochement this year, the North’s leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump signed a vaguely-worded statement …
Read More »US approves $3.5 billion Patriot missile sale to Turkey
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States said Wednesday it approved the sale of $3.5 billion in missiles to Turkey, offering an ultimatum after US outrage over the NATO ally’s plans to buy from Russia. The announcement came as President Donald Trump said that US forces would withdraw …
Read More »Ethiopian Airlines reopens Moscow route after 27 years
ethip Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopian Airlines on Monday resumed flights to Moscow after a gap of 27 years stretching back to the demise of the Soviet Union, which saw relations with Moscow dive. “Moscow is a vital addition to our European service, a very important region. It’s …
Read More »France ‘the sick man of Europe’: Polish foreign minister
Warsaw, Poland | AFP | France is “the sick man of Europe” and its problems are hurting the region, Poland’s foreign minister said Monday, citing the “yellow vests” protest movement and last week’s jihadist attack. “France is the sick man of Europe, it is a drag on Europe while Poland …
Read More »Sudan’s Bashir visits Damascus, meets Assad: Syrian presidency
Damascus, Syria | AFP | Sudan’s President Omar al-Bachir visited Damascus on Sunday, the Syrian presidency said, in his first such visit to the war-torn country since the start of the conflict. “President Omar Hassan al-Bashir… arrived this afternoon on a visit to the Syrian Arab Republic,” the presidency said. …
Read More »Ottawa’s envoy in China meets with second detained Canadian
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Ottawa’s ambassador to Beijing has met with the second Canadian detained in China on suspicion of threatening national security, Canada’s foreign ministry said Sunday. The ministry said Ambassador John McCallum had met with Michael Spavor, a business consultant, two days after meeting with another detained …
Read More »US calls for ‘immediate’ dialogue over Cameroon conflict
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Thursday called for “immediate and broad-based reconciliatory dialogue” in between Cameroon’s government and separatists, urging talks “without pre-conditions.” “We urge all sides to forswear violence, to restore peace, and to resolve their grievances through political dialogue,” said Jonathan Cohen, …
Read More »VIDEO: US lashes out at ‘predatory’ China, Russia in Africa
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States lashed out Thursday at “predatory” Chinese and Russian involvement in Africa as it announced a leaner footprint on the continent that insists on accountability in trade and peacekeeping. In a speech billed as unveiling a new US strategy on Africa, national …
Read More »US seeks end to UN Africa missions not bringing ‘lasting peace’
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States will seek an end to UN peacekeeping missions in Africa that do not bring long-term peace, national security advisor John Bolton said Thursday. “We will only back effective and efficient operations, and we will seek to streamline, reconfigure or terminate missions …
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